Highlights:
Thousands of shopkeepers rallied Wednesday here to protest the advent of large retail stores, saying companies like Wal-Mart and Reliance Retail would destroy their livelihoods.
“This is a do-or-die battle for us. Either they go or the small traders and farmers perish,” said Dharmendra Kumar, director of India FDI Watch, which is leading the campaign against the big companies that are trying to bring big-box style stores and supermarkets to India. He said 200 million Indians depend for their livelihood on the highly fragmented retail industry, which is dominated by about 12 million small mom and pop stores. Organized retail accounts for 3% of an industry estimated at $350 billion.
India FDI Watch maintains that the small fry are on track to lose almost 20% of their business to corporate retailers in the next four years.
In August, Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) launched a partnership with India's Bharti Enterprises to build a chain of wholesale outlets that would buy produce and merchandise from farmers and small manufacturers and sell it on to retailers.
ps - Newflash: Walmart's still evil. kbye.
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